Expect the Unexpected
by Speklez
Summary: A man helps a woman through a life altering experience and their relationship grows. Leah/Jasper, AU, NC, AH, OOC, 3rd POV FAGE 007 story written for Justagirl28
1. Chapter 1

**FAGE 007**

**Title: **Expect the Unexpected

**Written for: **Justagirl28

**Written By: **Speklez

**Rating:** M (rated for Language)

**Summary/Prompt used: **A man helps a woman through a life altering experience and their relationship grows. Leah/Jasper, AU, NC, AH, OOC, 3rd POV

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** www . fanfiction community /FAGE-007/93625/**

*X*

**Prologue**

Eyes clouded with tears, anger pulsed through her veins as she shifted the car into a higher gear. Giving no care to the high speed of the vehicle as she navigated the dark and dangerous curves of the road she found herself on, Leah's mind revolted against her, forcing her to relive, re-see, the events that led her here.

His hands that used to touch her so softly caressing the skin of another. Lips that she swore tasted like Heaven teasing someone else's. He was supposed to be her soulmate, her true love. This wasn't supposed to happen. He wasn't supposed to betray her. He was her everything, but apparently, she wasn't his.

Her fucking cousin was.

An inhuman growl sounded in the car, so quick and loud Leah looked around her, her heightened emotions causing her to turn from the road at the wrong moment. Moving too fast and distracted, she could do nothing about the curve up ahead and closing fast. A second too late returning her eyes to the road, she screamed, took her hands off the wheel and braced for impact.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 1**

He loved the quiet of the area. It was simply a bonus that humans were few and far between. Jasper had never been a fan of them, more often than not giving them no consideration whatsoever. They were a necessity, but more of an annoying one than anything. Other than food, they were pointless; always have been.

Purched on a high branch of a tree, he looked to the sky, allowing the twinkle of the stars to lull him into a sense of near peace. It was a clear night, the first in days, and Jasper had every intention of taking full advantage of it.

He hadn't been there long, only a couple of hours, and he had taken that time to think and remember what it was that found him there.

"_You just don't get it, do you? It was always were never supposed to be here this long." _

_He stared at the pint sized vampire before him, his lips pursed and eyes narrowed in both confusion and his rising ire. His voice when he finally spoke was low in an attempt to keep it level. "Always? You said..."_

_She had roughly crossed her arms, huffing as she did so. Rolling her eyes, she leveled him with a look that showed nothing but annoyance as she cut him off. "I said whatever I had to to get you to do what I wanted. You thought I actually cared about you? How could anyone love a monster, Jasper? And that's all you are, all you'll ever be; a soulless monster. As it is, your usefulness has run out, for all of us, and now you're nothing but a liability that no one wants."_

_As the last of his confusion melted away, leaving nothing but anger being, Jasper nodded slowly once. "A liability, am I? A monster, you say?" He paused and a chuckle tickled his throat as he bent at the waist and locked his black eyes on Alice's golden ones. "You have no idea; not yet. But you will."_

_Doing everything she could to keep the bravado that was quickly going out in the face of Jasper's irritation, Alice cleared her throat. "Just leave, Jasper. Leave and don't come back."_

_His lips turned into a nasty smirk and he lifted a hand, lightly, playfully, poking Alice in the nose. "Very well, since you asked so nicely and all."_

_It was after Jasper stood and started walking away that Alice made the mistake of calling out to him, asking him 'just like that'. He chuckled deep in his chest, glancing over his shoulder with a sinister looking grin. "Oh, no. I'll see you again."_

In his tree Jasper chuckled again at the memory of the little annoyance's body shaking tremor at his words. She stepped in it, big time, but there was no care in him to dwell on it at the moment. She would get her's, they all would. For decades they made him for a fool, using him and his ability for their own prolongment and personal enjoyment. Since the little shit was convinced he was a monster still, he would forever be looking forward to the day he would have the chance to prove her right.

It was encroaching on morning when Jasper stood from his branch and made to drop to the ground when the sound of squealing tires caught his attention, drawing it over his shoulder to the road about a mile from him. Turning slightly, he crossed his arms and watched the car fly down the road and not make the turn. The impact had him chuckling to himself as his head tilted to the side. "That, was pretty." Giving his head a shake, he dropped to the ground and jogged, in no hurry to get to the crash site. "Humans. Always thinking they're invincible until they slam into a tree. Moron."

As he got closer, Jasper's nose wrinkled at the scent of wet dog, pausing and looking around for the thing. When he couldn't see the pooch, he continued on his way, slowing to a walk as the crash site came into full view. The car was totaled, there was no two ways about it. It was completely wrapped around the base of a tree.

Having seen this before, he was not looking forward to the mess inside the twisted metal but, before he got to that, there was a low groan a few feet to his left, drawing his attention from the wreck. Lifting a brow, he made a face. "Gross. It survived."

Heading that way instead, he crossed his arms as he came upon the twisted body of a youngish looking female. Also, the closer he got, the more the stench of wet dog assaulted his nose. Cutting off his breathing, Jasper crouched next to the bloody body, his head cocking to the side as he watched the gashes in her exposed flesh stitch itself back together before his eyes. "Not human, are you?"

Lifting his eyes, they roamed the trees the woman collided with, little tufts of fur, blood and skin leaving a morbid trail from the body to the car without a windshield. Returning his eyes to her, he clicked his tongue, trying to decide what he was going to do. He could leave her there since clearly she wasn't going to die, or, he could take her to his place since he knew she wasn't human but couldn't presently place what she was and that, in his experience, was dangerous.

Decisions... Decisions.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 2**

Oh, she hurt. There wasn't a part of her that didn't. Never in her life could she remember her hair causing her pain, but right in that moment, she was sorely tempted to shave her fucking head. That's how bad her head hurt. She was blaming her hair; not the cut on her hairline or the broken nose or numerous bruises that discolored her face... her hair.

Pain makes people do fucked up things. Shut it.

It was with a groan Leah tried to roll over, but froze when a wave of pain induced nausea washed over her. Turning her head into the soft pillow under her head, she swallowed hard, trying to wrestle her stomach back under her control. There was another groan from her throat and she verbally damned the male sex to the pits of hell.

"Surely you ain't gonna blame us all for the actions a one. That ain't right."

She didn't care. At this moment in time, they were all the same... useless, back-stabbing assholes that did nothing but hurt those that did nothing to deserve it. And she had every intention of telling him that as soon as she wrestled her stomach back down where it belonged and out of her throat where it currently resided.

It was a battle she wasn't at first sure she was going to win but, after a longer time than she would have liked, the waves slowed and she changed moving her head out of hiding and finally taking a look at her surroundings, taking in the very minimal and rustic design. It wasn't out of the norm for her to see such a bare space, she was more used to it than she would like to admit. There wasn't much more to it than her own room back home.

Home... fuck that place.

When her eyes landed on the man in the room, she let them linger, trying to figure out why he looked familiar, but couldn't for her life figure it out. She felt like she should know who this was, but wasn't able to figure it out between the pounds against her skull. He was tall and thin. His hair was chin length and wavy. He was certainly attractive with the way he was leaning on the door frame like he didn't have a single care in the world.

Instead of letting her fogged mind dwell on that, she instead cleared her throat, wincing at the feeling, before licking her lips and trying to talk, but her voice was still quiet and scratchy. "Where am I?"

Jasper regarded the supernatural in his bed, fighting against himself to not wrinkle his nose at the smell that coated the room. Humming at her question, he lifted a shoulder before responding. "My little corner of the forest in the middle of no where. Do you really not have any idea where you were heading in such a hurry? I mean, really, you're lucky you are what you are. If you weren't, you'd be dead, Darlin'. Hitting a tree at 80 might seem like a good idea, but it really ain't."

Confusion, pure and complete confusion coursed through Leah's veins at his words, but she wasn't able to say anything back before she saw him push himself to a fully standing position and turn to leave the room, words of food in the kitchen when she decides to get out of bed floating back to her ears. All she could do in that time was blink with a blank mind.

It took her some time before she got over his words and put forth the effort of sitting up, the process itself taking its toll. Once she was sitting up though, she stayed in place, playing his words over and over in her mind, trying to get it to connect the dots of what he was talking about. She didn't remember hitting a tree or going that fast. All she remembered was walking into Sam's place and seeing him with her cousin. Everything after that was blurr of anger and hatred.

Slowly she shook her head. It was pointless to think about either of them. All it would do was get her pissed off again and she didn't want to deal with it. For the time being, she was actually pretty hungry and there was a man in the next room that she had some questions for.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 3**

Jasper was leaning against the counter making he was way through a bottle of whisky when the young lady finally surfaced from his room. Her movements were slow and slightly jerky, but she was finally moving, which was his intention when he dropped the bomb on her ten minutes prior. She would be stiff for a while, a side effect of laying still for two days. It would work itself out if she moved around though, so he wasn't worried about that aspect. It was the wet dog smell that had him concerned which was why he was drinking. It would take quite a bit, but his senses would start to dull as he began to get drunk.

What was a bigger issue here was the level of anger he was currently suppressing for her. He had never felt such anger and hatred from someone before and from the little he knew about the wolves, this was their Achilles Heel. The more pissed off she got, the more likely it was he would have a giant dog destroying his home. Not something he wanted to happen. He did know he would eventually have to stop controlling her emotions and make her deal with them, but for now, getting her something to eat and civil conversation about it seemed the better way to go.

At least for now.

Only his eyes followed her as she walked, watching and waiting for any indication she was going to strike. When she basically ignored him and took a seat at the table, Jasper relaxed slightly, taking another long pull from the whisky bottle. He saw her nose wrinkle and again braced for something, anything, from her, but all she did was clear her throat and pick up a fork and begin picking thing off the brunch assortment he made and put it on the plate in front of her. He did raise a brow at the amount she took without batting an eye, shaking his head when she asked if he was going to eat with her. He didn't even try and lie about already eating either. He was long since done pretending to be a human and he was pretty sure she would know he was lying anyways.

The room was tense and uncomfortable while Leah ate and Jasper drank his booze. There were stolen glances on both their parts, but neither one thinking the same thing. Only one of them currently knew there were two supernatural beings in the room and the one that didn't was possibly the more dangerous of the two. Dogs were inherently vicious and unpredictable, something Jasper had the ability to deal with, but there was something about her that had him not wanting to hurt her. Maybe it was her eyes and the pain and heartbreak in them, he didn't know; but there was something and it was all encompassing.

He waited until she finally set her fork down before he spoke and when he did, it was before she could, wanting to control the subject and where he knew the conversation would eventually go.

"Let's start with the basics, hmm? Whatcha name, Darlin'?"

Leah stared at the man she knew she should know, but couldn't place, not sure she should give him any sort of personal information. Then again, as she let her eyes drop and taking in the banquet he provided for her, she sighed and leaned back in her seat. "Leah. Leah Clearwater." Lifting her eyes, she raised a brow. "And you are?"

Setting his bottle on the counter, he crossed his arms. "Jasper Whitlock, Ma'am."

Both brows shot up to Leah's forehead. That's it! That's why he looked so familiar. In class they had recently learned about the Civil war and this guy was a spitting image of someone she learned about. How weird was it that he not only looked like him, but actually had the same name? The words were out before she could stop them. "Are you related to the Army Major Jasper Whitlock?"

A smirk made its way to Jasper's lips as a chuckle sounded in his throat at the question. He had been curious at one point if he made the history books, and it looks like he finally got his answer. He tilted his head only slightly, his smirk growing wide enough to show his teeth. "You could say that, I suppose. I wouldn't, but you can."

Leah blinked, starting slightly at the statement. "What does that mean, you wouldn't but I can?"

Waving a dismissive hand, not quite ready to go there, Jasper flawlessly redirected the topic. "Later. For now, how ya feelin'? Any better?"

Instantly her brows dropped down, a glare settling on Leah's face. No, that shit ain't gonna fly with her at this point. The last time someone said that to her was when she asked Sam if things between them were alright and he used the same diversion to get her to drop it and she wasn't going to put up with it again. "Don't dismiss my question. What did you mean by that?"

Jasper made a face and picked back up his whisky. He wasn't drunk enough for this yet. But, it didn't seem as though she cared much. So, he downed the last quarter of the bottle, licked his lips and spoke as he looked at the empty bottle in his hand. "This world is full of all kinds of things that humans don't know are here. There are far fewer myths than people think. Technically, I'm related to myself, so you can say I'm related to him, but really..." Lifting his eyes, he looked dead in her's. "I am him."

Her reaction was just about what Jasper expected. She snorted and crossed her arms. "Bull shit. He's been dead for over a hundred..."

Jasper cut in. "Missing. Trust me, I can vouch for the fact his body was never found and the grave that holds his name is as empty as an Egyptian King's Tomb these days... cause I'm not done with it yet. Maybe someday there will be something in the disintegrated casket that lies beneath the soil, but for now, not so much." Again, waving both hands this time, he redirected the conversation, but only away from him. "Tell me, Leah Clearwater, that you have no idea about the world around you, even growin' up with legends to lead you. You know I'm not lyin', but it's easier to call someone a liar than it is to believe there are things in this world that aren't lies. All myths and legends come from truth, they just get blown out of context over the years. Everything you think you know is the lie. Take you, for example. You're not what you think you are either. How the fuck do you think you survived that crash? A HUMAN never would have. A supernatural, though... they have every chance. Since you're still alive, maybe you should stop questionin' me and start questionin' yourself." And damn it all if he didn't realize he sounded like Peter in that moment.

Leah looked at him like he was as crazy as he sounded. The tribe's legends were just that; Legends. They were nothing but stories to keep the little ones from running around after dark and make them feel safe on the Rez with the knowledge it was protected by their spirit animal.

Jasper, somewhat annoyed by the look she was giving him, growled slightly and decided to prove it, the destruction of his house be damned. There was very little he cared about as it was and being called a liar was right on up there at the top of the list. Besides, he could always rebuild what she broke.

So, with his eyes locked on her's, he started to pull back his gift, letting her once again become consumed with her anger and hatred. When she flushed red, a growl sounded from her throat, the same noise that distracted her from the road before. Seeing her eyes go wide, he smirked at her and completely yanked his power back, giving her the full brunt of it, even adding to it because she pissed him off.

he watched as she jumped out of her seat like she was kicked, her hands slamming on the table, the power behind it breaking the wood beneath her palms. Her back arched back, a scream ripped from her mouth as her bones began to shift and snap. He had to admit it looked painful, but he didn't stop it. He just continued to watch in a morbid fascination. He merely lifted a brow at her when she looked at him, her breathing hard as her eyes flashed before they snapped closed and she hunched over as another scream sounded in the room.

Before the change was complete though, he capped her emotions and flooded her with calm and tranquility, stopping the change in its tracks. As she breathed hard and fast, she began to relax, the pain from what she just went through slowly subsiding with every breath. She lifted her eyes, looking in Jasper's general direction, but only seeing blurs of color.

For Jasper's part, he just continued to stand there and look at the girl he found, his smirk still in place. Having her around could actually be kinda fun. However, before any plans like that could be figured out, first he needed to get her to be able to control this little thing of her's on her own.

Once the pain was completely gone, Leah continued to stand there, staring at Jasper with a glare that would probably have started it all over again if not for him. Her voice still held the growl from before, the beast beneath her skin waiting for a moment's weakness to fully break free. "What did you do to me?"

Again, Jasper snorted. Of course this would some how be his fault. If there is a man within fifty miles of a female having issues, it's always his fault. Pushing off the counter, he went to the cupboard above the stove and pulled out two more bottles of whisky, keeping one for himself and tossing the other to Leah. Cracking the seal, he lifted a shoulder as he uncapped the amber liquid. "I didn't do shit to you, Darlin'. It really ain't my fault you are what you are. Hell, it ain't even my fault I am what I am. The point, Sugar, is that we can't change it. All we can do is figure out how to live with it."

Catching the bottle, Leah held it in her hands, feeling the smooth glass and biting her lip as she listened. When he was done talking, she clicked her tongue as she too cracked open the alcohol in her hands. Retaking her seat, she poured a glass for herself, picking it up and looking back at Jasper. "How? I don't even know what that was, what you are. How do you deal with something when you don't know what that something is?"

Not caring for a glass, Jasper just went ahead and drank from the bottle again. He was going to drink it all anyways; no need to dirty a glass. Humming at the burn that would never get old, he swallowed and let out a breath. "Simple. Ya stop callin' people a liar and listen to 'em when they tell you somethin'. There's all kinds a shit in this world you don't know about, but you will since you're one of them. I'm not gonna lie here, Sugar. You're gonna have a hard time with a lot of it, but I've been around the block a few times over the years and I'm willing to help, but you gotta be willin' to listen. I'm a lot of things, but I ain't a liar and won't stand bein' called one."

A look overtook Leah's face at that last part. "Why? You said that there was more to the legends I grew up with than I'm willing to give them credit for. If that's the case and there is truth to them, then wouldn't we be enemies? I can guess to the fact that since I'm a native, I'm the protector and since you're not, you're the one I'm supposed to protect people from."

"Well, sure, if ya wanna look at it that way. However, there is more to it than just that. If we were natural enemies, I wouldn't have saved your life and let you get blown to bits by the car, nor would I have brought you to my place and let you sleep off the injuries, or fed you, or give you my whisky. It ain't black and white like ya think it is. It's the shades of gray that keep shit interesting. Besides, what are your other choices? Go home and find out there what's goin' on with ya? From the way you been mumblin' about some man there, I doubt that's what you wanna do."

She couldn't argue that. She had no desire to go back there. She should at least want to tell someone she's alive, but in that moment, it didn't seem like a pressing matter in the least. So, instead, she took a drink from the glass in her and and nodded once. "So, what's the first thing we have to do?"


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 4**

It had been two days since the conversation in the kitchen and over that time, Jasper had learned that his little Betty had one hell of a temper and more issues to work through than fucking Playboy. Trying to help her control her anger was proving to be almost impossible. Course, that did have to do with the fact that shifters and vampires really were natural born enemies and not people that could get along. However, he was convinced the stigma could be redone if she would chill the hell out and relax.

For her, Leah was trying to listen, but it was so hard to deal with the main issue she had to. She was still so fucked up over Sam and Emily that she couldn't stay calm for more than a few moments when it was brought up... and Jasper never missed a chance to do so. She knew it was something she had to deal with if she didn't want to gain control over her shifting, but even with the reason so clear, she wasn't ready to face it.

They had plans. They had a future. They talked about it all from marriage to kids to the plot of land they wanted to buy and raise their family. They missed nothing and it was so perfect, the dream of what their future together would be and it was taken from her without warning, without so much as a 'fuck you' to her face before she was violently thrust into the dismal present. She was hurt and pissed off and she wasn't sure she would ever be able to face that with any sort of grace.

To her, it didn't even seem like Jasper cared as he continued to throw her past in her face, making her live the pain every chance he got. No, it wasn't meant to be so malicious, but it felt like it. It was her fault for telling him the truth of why she was running and in such a hurry. If she would have left out the real reason, maybe it wouldn't be so hard, but then again, he told her he would know if she was lying and it was better in the long run not to do that. He did look like it hurt him to some degree to throw things at her in such a manner, but it didn't stop him. If anything, it made him do it more and in more hurtful ways.

Jasper just thought she was being a baby. So her relationship didn't work out the way she wanted. It wasn't the end of the world and she was kinda acting like it was. Currently, she reminded him of this human he once knew that Peter was fucking and went all suicidal when he stopped. The female sex were nothing if not a dedicated bunch when it came to what they wanted, but this was starting to border on pathetic. Were she a man, or at least had a scrap of self respect, she would have just beat the living tar out of the one that stole her man and been done with it, but noooo. She had to go all emo and let it all but consume her.

Jasper himself was just coming off a relationship and he wasn't all bent out of shape over it. Sure, he had future plans to make the irritation regret her parting words, but he wasn't going wallow in grief until then. He was gonna make her eat her words; something that this female didn't seem to understand the concept of. All it seemed she wanted to do was throw a hissy fit over it instead of stepping up and getting even for what he did. The best revenge you can get is being happy, showing them you're better than they gave you credit for. If she would stop shrieking, maybe he could tell her that, but at the moment, she was too raw, too close and until that changed, he was left with nothing but to finish tearing her down so she could start to rebuild.

From his tree purch, Jasper looked down at Leah's heavily breathing human form, his lips pursed. There had to be a way to get her to focus on something other than the negative without him doing it for her. Well, really, he wasn't doing anything for her. All he was doing was capping the emotions so they didn't get strong enough to cause the shift, only enough to make her feel the pain that came with it so she had to deal with it in one way or another. He just wasn't in the mood to face off with a wolf as tall as he was.

Once she got her breathing under control, she looked up at the tree to the vampire that sat there with seemingly no care in the world. He had his eyes closed and head leaned back against the truck, one leg hanging down with other propped up on the branch he was sitting on with his arm draped over his knee. He looked the picture of content if she had to name it. Scratching her forehead, she sighed. "I can't do this."

Jasper didn't even argue, nor did he move. "I noticed."

Jerking back at the offhand tone, she then glared up at him. "Not like you're making this any easier, Jasper."

He shrugged. "Not my job to make your life easier, Sugar." Finally opening his eyes, he looked down at her. "It's my job to help you control your fucked up temper. Thing is, I can't do it for you. You have to do the work. All I can do is keep you in this form while you do it."

Leah seemed to retreat into herself, her shoulders slouching as she crossed her arms. "It's so hard, though."

Jasper nodded before he dropped from his branch, crossing his own arms upon landing. Slowly he made his way to her, his head tilted slightly to the side and he regarded her somewhat defeated stance. "It's only as hard as you make it, Darlin'. They hold this power over you cause you're giving it to 'em. Do you think they're thinkin' of you with the same focus you're thinkin' about them? Do you think they're thinkin' about you at all? I'm not sayin' you don't have a reason to be angry. All I'm trying to get you to see is they ain't shit. You're making this into more than it is."

Leah's glare darkened. "How am I doing that? Sam and I were together for years and he dismissed me without so much as a fuck you."

Jasper snorted. "I was with my girl for decades and I got that fuck you you seem to think is so important and let me tell ya, it doesn't make it any better. If anything, it makes it suck more. You have two choices and you're the only one that can make it. You can either buck up and move on, or you can continue to let this consume you to the point you never get over it. I don't rightly care which one you pick, but this is a waste of time if you don't look at this from a different perspective."

Leah jetting out a hip, her glare still in place. "And what perspective is that?"

A smirk made it's way to Jasper's lips as his eyes sparked with something Leah couldn't name. "You could have not found out and been a side piece of ass for a guy that ain't shit. Listen, Sugar; you have to let this go. No guy is worth the kind of shit you're dealin' with. Personally, you should see this as a favor and not the end of the world. You could have been married and had them kids you talked about and then this happen. Situations can alway be worse if you can take a step back and see that. This ain't the end of the world, Darlin'. The sun is gonna set tonight and rise again tomorrow. The thing you have to ask yourself is, how how much power you want to give a man that don't care about you?"

Leah raised a challenging brow at him. "You mean kinda like with you?"

Jasper shrugged. "Two things. One, I don't have any power over you you didn't give me and two, I never said I didn't care. I mean I don't, but I didn't say I did either. Thing is, I don't know anything you didn't tell me and really, it sounds like nothin' more than an excuse. It's nothin' in the big picture. Besides, I know where you're comin' from remember? I just lost my girl too. Well, it was technically a couple months ago, but since I'm immortal, I process time differently than you. Three months to me is three days for you. Either way, exes only have the power you give them. You can wallow if you want, but revenge is so much more fun and the best revenge you can get is to show him you're better without him."

Leah sighed. "You make it sound so easy."

"That's because it is. You just have to decide how long you want this to affect you. You're the only one that can decide that. I can't do it for you. I can only do what I've been doing."

Leah looked at him, her eyes shining with tears she was too stubborn to let fall. He made it sound so easy, but was it really? Could she really just let it go so soon, when it just happened? She knew if she didn't it would continue to affect her like it was, keep her from being able to control this new found horror. If she couldn't get her anger over this in check, she stood the chance of shifting happening in times and places it would be bound to cause problems.

Then she stopped and changed the course of her thoughts. Why should she be the one suffering when she didn't do anything wrong? Why should she be the only one affected like this when it was him that did something wrong? All she did was love him, want to be with him, and behind her back, he decided to hook up with her cousin; her best friend. Of the two of them, he should be the one that suffers... and so should Emily.

For nearly their whole lives Leah and Emily were more like sisters than they were cousins and for her to do this, to take the one thing that meant everything, was beyond the realm of unforgivable. She should be the one tied in knots over her actions. Emily should be the one that wonders why. She should be the one that hurts and can't breathe because of this.

Looking into Jasper's eyes, Leah decided to listen to him, to take his words and apply them. He didn't know her, knew nothing about her, yet he was here, willing to help in any way he could so she could move on and he didn't have to. Her and Sam were only together for a couple of years, nothing compared to the decades he said he was with his ex. Nearly sixty years, over forty more than Leah had even been alive, and he wasn't wallowing in pain and anger over their break-up. Granted, she didn't know why they broke up, but to end a relationship after so long couldn't be easy for him and he was still standing there, trying to figure out how to help her deal instead of taking care of himself.

She could do this. She could focus enough to look past her anger and get this shifting thing under control. Not only would she do that, but she would learn to control the wolf itself. She could do better; she would do better. She would face this head on and she would win.

Jasper watched as her eyes hardened and sparked with resolve. She figured it out, and none too soon. He knew that women had a harder time with break-ups than men did, that it took them longer to get over them. It had only been a couple of days, but with the added issue of her being a shapeshifter where sifting was tied to her emotions, it was necessary for her. She had every reason to be pissed off. He was pissed off for her. However, if she ever wanted to not hide away in the woods since she's made it clear she not going back to where she came from, she needed to start the process of learning to control this.

They stood there for a long moment, either of them saying a word as they stared at the other. Something happened to them in that moment neither of them could describe. For Leah, it was the world seemed to shift, everything that used to matter no longer did because he was there. For Jasper, he was overcome with a deadly protectiveness, the tear tracks he could still see on her cheeks making a boiling rage bubble up in his gut. Though the effects were unexpected by both of them, they were both on the same page...

Revenge would have to wait. All that mattered to them was they were there, together, and nothing in the world would tear them apart. Jasper knew for nearly two centuries to always expect the unexpected, and now, he felt it was his job to not only teach this truth to Leah, but to teach her how to deal with it.

He would give her a break, time to process her newfound decision to move on, and then he would hit her with everything he had without warning. She would learn about their world and the best way to teach it was through experience. If she could learn to combat the negative, later, she would truly be able to appreciate the positive and always expect the unexpected.


End file.
